The present invention relates to intravenous catheter placement assemblies and, more particularly, to needle-inside, catheter placement assemblies having axial and rotational alignment means.
Catheter placement assemblies of the needle-inside type are well known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,312,200 granted to M. Eisenberg on Apr. 4, 1967 discloses such a catheter placement assembly. U.S. Pat. No. 3,809,081 granted to J. Loveless on May 7, 1974 discloses such a catheter placement assembly having an obturator threadably connected to the catheter hub. U.S. Pat. No. 3,589,361 granted to D. Loper on June 10, 1968 discloses such a catheter placement assembly having axially movable winged insertion means disposed on the catheter. U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,975 granted to M. Nimoy, et al. on Nov. 6, 1973 discloses such a catheter placement assembly having a catheter unit comprising a catheter, winged catheter insertion means, flexible tubing and a tube hub.
An advantage of the Nimoy catheter placement assembly is that its tube hub is substantially spaced from the venipuncture site, thereby allowing the catheter to be securely attached to the patient at that site and allowing possible infection causing connections to an intravenous solution set to be made remote from the wound.
A major disadvantage of the Nimoy assembly is that axial and rotational alignment of the needle and catheter unit is difficult to maintain both prior to and during placement of the catheter into a patient. Nimoy attempts to solve this problem by the use of a removable plastic sleeve removably mounted on the flexible tubing. Loper discloses that flexing of his winged insertion means grasps both the catheter and needle during venipuncture. U.S. Pat. No. 3,537,451 granted to D. Beck, et al. on Nov. 3, 1970 discloses still another winged catheter insertion means which grasps both the catheter and their two-diametered needle during venipuncture.
Unfortunately, these prior art assemblies do not maintain axial or rotational alignment of the needle and catheter unit prior to placement of the catheter into the patient. Thus, proper axial or rotational alignment of the needle and catheter must be made by the user of the assembly just prior to venipuncture. Accordingly, it will be apparent that such a catheter placement assembly providing axial and rotational alignment of the needle and catheter unit thereof at all times would be advantageous and desirable.